Chapter 23: Illusionist's Gambit. Over The Edge?

Logan stepped heavy against the hard pavement, growing worried of the major spike in energy around the other battle. He stepped to what appeared to be a dark shield surrounding the area of the battle. He placed his hand against the barrier, and it ignited a black lightning around him and opened and dragged him inside closing behind him. With Ethan in his hand he watched haze swirl at his feet. He stepped around and called out hearing only his own voice echo back. Ethan felt cold in Logan's hand,

"Logan, this isn't good. I believe we have been transported into magic space. This space is known for vivid and nearly life-like illusions. If we don't keep ourselves on guard we will fall prey to this. She must have gotten desperate to do this."

"Do the others know what this is?"

"Kid might. Blackstar sure as hell doesn't and Maka may be able to figure it out. The fact is, we need to find them and break this evil spell. I fear the longer we are in here the more it will invade our minds."

"We can't leave anything to chance. Let's use soul resonance here so we can keep our power above this clone's"

With that they ignited their power and peered around trying to find the other's souls. They could pinpoint Blackstar's erratic wavelength almost immediately. As he was fighting one of the illusions they knew he was the first on the list to save. With a few minutes of running and getting closer they heard him muttering curses. As Logan stepped to see him through the haze He was bleeding from the head and swinging at something that the brother's couldn't see,

"Blackstar! Quit fighting it. That is an illusion created by this clone."

Blackstar turned and fell to his knees. A smile broke out

"Logan, Ethan. Connect your soul to mine so we can break this illusion."

Logan stepped forward and reached his soul out to him connecting and clearing the haze around them. Blackstar nodded as they headed towards the closest soul to them; Death the Kid.

As they moved close the haze became thick and muggy as if they were breathing in warm water. Kid called out to them and walked right into Logan. He looked up and wiped his sweating brow.

"Damn, just in time. I've been wandering for what seems like hours in hallways that have one brick more on one side than the other. This place is disgusting as well as terrifying. Obviously it is just an illusion. How else would she be able to make something so irritating?"

"Kid I was seeing that samurai. He was a demon of some sort. No matter what I did he didn't budge. I knew he couldn't take on a champ like me."

"Shut it Blackstar"

Logan shook his head and reached for Kid's shoulder and instead found his hand on something softer and squishy. He felt around a bit more until a fist collided with his jaw putting him on the ground.

"Ow what the fuck?"

Liz stepped out from the veil of shadow that stopped anyone from seeing even a foot in front of them.

"Damn Logan. This is not the time to get fresh with me! What would Maka think?"

She was blushing but let out a laugh. Logan felt his nose running with a bit of blood and his cheeks were burning red.

"How the hell was I supposed to know you were there? I can't see shit in here. I didn't mean to I swear."

"Relax man. I didn't even see it coming. I know you can't see anything more than I can. I wouldn't mind even if you could see. God Logan."

"Um guys. Not the time or place to fondle each other. We need to link souls to clear this darkness"

Kid was absolutely right about that and Logan reached out with his soul forming the connection.

Maka was in the deepest part of the haze and they could feel it was already in soul resonance. The group moved inwards to the center of the dark mass until Maka jumped back and swung Soul back almost smacking Kid in the head.

"Maka hold on. We are here now."

Maka kept on swinging and swinging at nothing as if she couldn't hear Logan calling out to her. Logan turned around as he couldn't even hear the shuffling of feet. He closed his eyes for a moment and as he opened them he saw a inky black hair woman, her face not two inches from his face.

"Hi."

"No."

"The hell do you mean no?"

"You aren't real. You can't be."

His body shuddered as Oscura spoke to him calmly and slightly sweetly,

"Of course I'm real silly. Don't you remember? You killed all those silly friends of yours."

Logan stepped back and his eyes widened as flashes started to pour though his mind. Blackstar, Kid, Tsubaki, Maka, Ethan, Stein, Liz and Patty. Even Spirit lay dead in front of him as Soul stood, his left arm completely gone. His tears fell slowly to the ground as he screamed out,

"How could you? Maka loved you. We all did, especially her. So tell me why."

Logan stood above the young man with a bit of black blood running down his face. He smiled wide with razor sharp teeth,

"Why not? Was love supposed to save me? Were you?"

Soul fell to his knees as Logan raised his blade above his head slowly. Soul saw his own reflection in the blood of his friends. His head shot up and the black blade cut him down for good. Logan screamed out as he saw Maka's eyes still wet with tears but absolutely no life in them. The dark Logan picked her up by the throat holding her lifeless face in front of his. He pressed his lips to hers and violently kissed her sucking her tongue in her mouth before dropping her into her own blood.

"Tastes so sweet. That innocent, pure, foolish girl. Too bad. I wanted to play with her more. She would have been so fun to break and mold into anything I wanted. Maybe, I could."

His laugh was twisted and evil. He picked her up again but by both the wrists and kissed her deep again until her body started to jerk back to life. He broke from it and smiled.

"You're up? Can you feel your heartbeat?"

"Logan?"

"Now you are going to break nice and easy for me. You are going to be nothing but a tool, an instrument for my amusement and pleasure. Resist me, and you'll only bring untold pain upon yourself and this world. Understand?"

Maka hung her head but slowly nodded her head.

"Good girl. You are nothing but my dog. Now. Bark for me, my little bitch."

Maka raised her head her eyes and lips quivering,

"Woof."

Logan clutched his head and let out a deafening scream as he fell to his knees in front of Oscura. He looked up and she cupped his cheeks softly raising his head turning him to see an image of Maka, happily barking at his side. Logan shut his eyes tight and then opened them again with a bright white light enveloping them.

"ENOUGH!"

From his knees a blast of his wavelength reduced these images to ashes and as the others were trying to wake Logan up as he was slumped over knelt down, the haze started to rip itself apart from the blinding light that was Logan's soul. He stood forming a blade on his arm without a word. He ran at the heart of the darkness and cut through any of it stopping him. He reached out with his other hand gripping tight. He pulled Aline from her hiding spot in the dark by the throat. The barrier faded in almost an instant as he tightened his grip, her little gasps and whimpers escaping as she clawed at his hand holding her.

"Do you feel that? I hope all of you feels this. Every clone, every part of your soul."

Maka stood up and threw herself into his back hugging him from behind without a word. He slowly loosened his grip and then threw Aline to the ground. And Kid pulled out some sort of anti-magic restraints and cuffed her hands behind her back lifting her back up.

"Now in the name of Death, you'll tell us everything we want to know. Your interrogator, will be Logan and Ethan. So I hope for your sake you don't hold anything back."

Logan looked at his hand that was trembling and a familiar gloved hand held it tightly. Maka stood with nothing to say but this gesture. Logan smiled and squeezed back as they dragged the woman off to the interrogation room.

Logan gave Ethan a glance once she was properly restrained and Logan had his gleaming sliver pistol in his hand.

"Now. After what you have done, you are lucky I haven't killed you already. So tell us where your, 'sisters' are and I'll make this as painless as possible."

"Pain? You know nothing of pain. Centuries of watching your family, so happy and content. Sickening and painful to watch and bear."

"No, not the answer we were looking for. Ethan, Show her what she's won!"

Logan placed Ethan's barrel at her knee and pulled the trigger three times. Aline screamed out from the blasts and Logan covered her mouth with his other hand until she stopped screaming.

"What a screamer here Ethan. I didn't even break the skin and she is already crying."

Aline had a tear run from her eye and Logan pulled his hand away from her mouth.

"Where are they? Explicit locations woman."

"Fuck! What a heartless little shit you've become. My answer is fuck you!"

Logan sighed and shook his head,

"Ethan, once more from the top."

He placed him at her other knee and fired five shots actually making her bleed. He struck her in the face twice with Ethan and grabbed her throat looking into her eyes.

"Where?"

"I-"

Logan placed Ethan between her eyes and said again coldly,

"Where?"

"Fine, I know! I'll tell you where just let me go!"

"You will tell me where right now or I'll blow your fucking head all over this cell, you get me?!"

She spat out coordinates and how to detect the others' magic. Kid stepped inside and whispered in Logan's ear. Logan nodded his head and pulled the barrel away from her skull.

"You'll let me go now right? I told you what you wanted."

Logan turned and grabbed Aline's jaw and opened her mouth shoving Ethan into it down to the trigger. Her eyes shifted to a terrified look as she squealed in fright trying to shake off her chains and Logan held her head still. He could feel her pulse racing and her body trembling. Ethan felt her moist mouth and her tongue gagging on the barrel, trying to eject him from the back of her throat. With a squeeze of the trigger, her life ended. Logan, had Ethan change back. The brothers left the room silently tuning to their lovers with regretful tears in their eyes. Their voices shaking,

"Who the hell have I become?"

Silence was their answer.